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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. face — part of the head
  6. charge — electricity
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. toast — bread
  11. face — to confront
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. charge — in control
  16. bass — low music
  17. game — a match
  18. bass — the fish
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. face — to point toward
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. land — a country
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com